Tonight, the much more plentiful highs will take precedence as the best point guard in team history sees his sturdy No. 10 jersey ascend to the rafters in a halftime ceremony at the Spectrum, for which tickets are still available.
On hand will be several recipients of the man's largesse as a teammate: Hall of Fame statesman in sneakers Julius Erving, firebrand coach Billy Cunningham, title team starter Marc Iavaroni, point guard predecessor Henry Bibby, backup jumping jack Earl "The Twirl" Cureton, perhaps even Andrew Toney, the basketball soulmate of the guest of honor. Still-active old teammates Charles Barkley and Moses Malone will beam in on video, as will sixth man nonpareil Bobby Jones.
High above, waiting to be joined, will be Cunningham's retired No. 32 jersey, Erving's No. 6, Jones' No. 24, the No. 15 of the great Hal Greer and the No. 13 of legendary Wilt Chamberlain.
And however uncomfortably it suits him, center stage will belong to the soft-spoken son of Chicago whose quiet dedication charmed not only a judgmental city but a broad swath of the basketball world, too.
"I was actually just being myself," Cheeks said last week. "I never commanded attention. I enjoyed not being the center of attention. That's why (tonight) is going to be a little more difficult for me, because I'm used to being a part of something, and not The Something."
Listen closely, because Mo Cheeks won't filibuster in the first speech of his life.
"It's not going to be long, I'll tell you that," he said, smiling. "I'm not like an overjubilant guy who really relishes the moment all the time, but I'm going to try to relish this moment the best I can. It's not an easy thing for me to actually sit there and listen to someone talk about me."
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